Runtime: 100 minutes
Directed by: Don Siegel
Starring: The Duke, Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard, many others in small roles
From: Paramount
Today was another day to clear space on the DVR. This was a recording made off of TCM this past September (! It’s not even the oldest recording I have on there) so a viewing was long overdue. There was time to see a feature-length film as my family here on vacation is somewhere else until shortly after this review is posted. Otherwise, I’ll be busy w/ them until Friday afternoon, presumably having plenty of fun.
Not a “fun” film but rather a serious Western concerning death & mortality, The Shootist proved to be an unintended yet fitting end to John Wayne’s legendary career—not to mention a swansong to the traditional Western of old. I noticed the similarities to the 1950 film The Gunfighter, a role that Wayne turned down. Both demonstrated that the life of an infamous gunfighter in the Wild West wasn’t as enjoyable as the novels or films would portray. In this case, he is told by his doctor pal Jimmy Stewart that he has an advanced form of cancer, his live expectancy measured in a matter of weeks or perhaps even days.
The focus is on J.B. Books and how he wishes for a quiet, peaceful death in Carson City but news of his arrival spread like wildfire. He was a famous badass who killed 30 people but the town’s opinion is a mix of adulation, trepidation, anger, and the desire to kill a mythical figure. He stays at the lodgings of widow Lauren Bacall and her teenage son Ron Howard; those relationships are complicated. Those three actors also delivered the best performances-which was critical as the main character had the most and most critical interactions w/ them.
The chilly late January setting in Nevada seemed apt for the tenor of this tale. I was happy to view yet another 70’s picture w/ plenty of familiar faces: Richard Boone, Hugh O’Brian, John Carradine, Harry Morgan, Bill McKinney, Scatman Crothers, the aforementioned names, etc. However, Wayne was clearly the highlight; to reiterate, this was a fitting capper to the career of a legend. What a bitter irony that Wayne himself (who suffered from cancer himself) would pass away due to the disease in 1979.
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